The First Report of a Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolate Harboring Type IV SCCmec in Thailand

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is mostly found in Thailand in the hospital as a nosocomial pathogen. This study aimed to report the genetic characterization of a clinical community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) isolate collected from hospitalized patients in Thailand. Among 26 MRSA isolates, S. aureus no. S17 preliminarily displayed the presence of a staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV pattern. The bacterial genomic DNA was subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) production, virulence toxins, and antibiotic resistance genes were identified, and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and spa typing were performed. The strain was matched by sequence to MLST type 2885 and spa type t13880. This strain carried type IV SCCmec with no PVL production. Five acquired antimicrobial resistance genes, namely blaZ, mecA, Inu(A), tet(K), and dfrG conferring resistance to β-lactams, lincosamides, tetracycline, and trimethoprim, were identified. The detected toxins were exfoliative toxin A, gamma-hemolysin, leukocidin D, and leukocidin E. Moreover, there were differences in seven regions in CR-MRSA no. S17 compared to CA-MRSA type 300. In summary, we have reported the ST2885-SCCmec IV CA-MRSA clinical strain in Thailand for the first time, highlighting the problem of methicillin resistance in community settings and the consideration in choosing appropriate antibiotic therapy.